Miasma
by Anthiena
Summary: AU - Danny's family was shattered by Jack's death-what he finds is nothing short of  a nightmare. Luckily, he still has friends. Unluckily, he has much to learn about his new status and himself. Vampire, blended nWOD/OWOD. Bring on the reviews!
1. Changes

Miasma

By: Anthiena

Note: Crossover with White Wolf's World of Darkness. Enjoy the dark fic. Maddie gets an exceptional success!

Chapter 1: Changes

Jazz was off at college, for which Danny didn't blame her. The house was just empty, especially without... Danny's mind shied away, the grief too raw and new for him. Only weeks had gone by since they'd lost his father and it had hit Danny hard. He felt lost and confused, his mother seeming to wither away before his eyes. She'd always been distracted with her work as a scientist, but not... like this.

She seemed to have lost interest in her former work, bursting into sobs when she even touched the door to their basement lab. It was nailed shut, everything in it decommissioned. Shut away. He saw her asleep on the couch when he came in, which wasn't quite unusual of late. She seemed... different as well.

He felt a small relief that she was sleeping and guilt hit him. She stirred in her sleep and he looked down. She sat up, blinking a few times. "Danny... what time is it?" She asked, drowsy.

"After school." He dodged her question. "I got home a while ago."

She grabbed his arm. "Tell me the truth, Danny. Did you get detention again?"

Her grip was surprisingly strong. "Mom, that hurts...!" He called to her; was she losing it?

She immediately let go. "Danny-" She began but turned away. "Go up to your room and finish your homework if you've got any."

This was minor, yet it had happened before-but only after hiss dad had died. Some people just lost it after their spouses died. Maybe she was. He took advantage of her getting control of herself. She wasn't crying this time. It hadn't been the first time and he knew that it wasn't the last time it would happen. At least she hadn't started hitting him... yet. He fled to his room and did as he was told... however, he pulled out his cell and dialed.

"Ladies love cool Tuck here!" Came a familiar voice. Danny immediately laughed. "What? Is that funny?"

Danny felt better already. "Uh... yeah, dude. Ugh, mom blew up again today. She's completely losing it."

"Tell me about it. What does the headshrinker think?" Tucker Foley sighed.

Danny had to roll his eyes. "Jazz thinks mom is getting into drugs. I don't think so, I haven't smelled anything on her or seen anything. There's been only one weird thing and I think she just had like, something wrong with her ear or something."

"Dude, denial isn't just a river in Egypt." Tucker told him. "Do I ever lie? Does your sister?"

Danny made an impatient sound. "No, but I think that she's wrong. She's just... grieving. Like me."

"So what weird thing did you see?" Tucker asked.

Danny picked up a little beanbag and tossed it up and down. "Blood on her shirt collar, but no scratch. Smelled like hers, so..."

Tucker chuckled. "Danny, the human bloodhound."

"Not even. It sucks being weird and here we are, things getting even weirder." Danny rolled his eyes, putting down the beanbag. "So how's the wired?"

He continued his homework, half-listening to his friend ramble on about technology and games. He loved Tucker like a brother, sometimes because of the differences. They'd shared their lives since preschool and yet shared so little in common outside their being outsiders. After a while, Danny let Tucker go. He needed something to eat and his mom was an atrocious cook. He stopped, hearing something odd from the bedroom his parents once shared: talking.

He silently eased it open, seeing his mother and another man that Danny recognized. "You should be so lucky that I allowed him to be with you so long, Maddie. I love you, my dear and I had lost my patience. You do still have your children."

Vlad Masters, a family friend. He held Maddie close, almost lovingly but something was terribly wrong, Maddie slack and focused on the bag of red liquid he held. "I am lucky." She spoke, shaking. "Please... I need it..."

He touched her face, his own unreadable. "No, you need _me._" He pressed.

Danny felt sick and wasn't sure if he was really seeing what he was as Vlad felt her neck, sighing as Maddie repeated what he had said without a shred of sincerity. He bent his head, biting in-had to be, Danny smelled the blood-and his throat working to swallow. His mind went blank; what-what-? As the man drew away, any sign of a wound faded quickly, even the redness. Maddie's face made him feel ashamed to watch.

Vlad looked almost angry as he gave Maddie the bag, which she quickly opened and drank. "Yes... you like this, now look at _me_."

"What... what the **hell**?" Danny sputtered. "_Get off my mom_!" He pushed in the door, enraged.

Vlad let Maddie go and stood up. "You have no say in this, little badger." He snarled, strolling to him easily, picking him up by the throat.

"Don't... don't take him away..." Came Maddie's voice. "Don't hurt my son..."

Danny struggled. "Mom...! Don't!"

"Why not? It's the law. If I don't, we all die." Vlad snapped. "I rather want the chance to enjoy my existence."

Maddie forced herself to look at Vlad's face. "Because... you can make him like me. Take him into that world. He'd be far better at it than me... please, Vlad-if you really love me, please. Spare Danny at least-Jazz won't talk to me anymore, don't make me lose everything." Tears slid down her face.

He stared at me a moment. "Yes. Your decision, boy. You want life? Or will you die and break your mother's heart?"

Danny shook. "I... I don't want to die like this..."

Vlad put him down and bit into his own wrist. "So be it." He grabbed Danny's hair and pulled it back, letting blood drip down into the teen's throat. "You're mine now, understand?"

Danny didn't see his mother's relief as he began drinking. He made a sound as he was dropped to the floor. He was horrified and looked up, hate blossoming. "I understand."

He wouldn't be able to hang onto it for long.


	2. Sunday Flower

Miasma

by: Anthiena

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom but I do own copies of both versions of Vampire!  
>Note: I took a while because this chapter refused to cooperate. First Maddie was too informative then the plan for Sam changed in a major way for backround and past stuff with Danny. It changes the dynamic but not her past before Danny or really the plans for the two. Also, the m stopped working on my keyboard for the netbook I am reduced to using. Thus, the onscreen keyboard becomes of great use. In return, you have this HUUUUGE chapter.<p>

THANK YOU REVIEWERS-even the ones who didn't like it. That you take the time to read this is amazing.

Chapter 2: Sunday Flowers

He didn't feel very different. The day was still as painless as any, which was no comfort. Somehow, Danny had expected to feel different or to be different. He sat with his homework, looking up at his mother as she came into the room. "Danny... I'm so sorry." She placed her hands on his shoulders.

"What is going on?" He asked her. "Why did he- what did he even _do_?"

She brushed her hands through his hair, kissing her forehead. "It started a long time ago-Vlad was in the hospital, the doctors all said that he was going to die. Suddenly, he started getting better and nobody knew how. They said it was a miracle. Me and your father were in college then."

"It wasn't a miracle, was it." Danny stated.

She made a sound that was not quite a laugh. "No, we were just happy to have our best friend back, so we didn't notice that he had gained a temper. I don't know when it happened. Some time while I was pregnant, Vlad vanished for a while. He came back and he... wasn't really Vlad anymore. Jack never cared, Vlad was his best friend."

"He... wasn't Vlad anymore? What was he, then?" Danny touched his throat.

Maddie sighed. "He calls himself a kindred-he became a vampire, undead. He just stayed close to me, feeding me that blood. I... it made me feel so good. He always... you're too yo-no, you're not anymore." She flushed.

"He... made you cheat on dad, huh." Danny was beet red as he realized that aloud. Not the usual thing to say to one's mother.

She sighed. "I do love you, Danny."

Danny wasn't sure what to say, so he just looked down. "I need to finish homework, mom." He told her quietly.

She looked disappointed but left him alone, with an envelope with Danny's name on it in Vlad's handwriting. He only realized when he walked into the school that he didn't talk again that night or that morning. "Jeez..." He commented to himself, breaking the silence.

"What's up, Danny?" Came a familiar voice.

It was the new girl who had transferred in some weeks ago. He sighed. "My mom's all weird." He told her. "It just gets weirder. She... took my dad's death a little hard." His voice cracked on that.

"Yeah, that was too bad. He was pretty young for that. Not really fair-wasn't he a hit and run kind of thing?" She asked.

He sighed. "Yeah. Let's... talk about something else."

She nodded. "Have you heard that Paulina's throwing a fit? She wanted some new dress and her mom refused to buy it for her..."

Shooting the breeze took his mind off things wonderfully. He liked her-she seemed so self-assured, not like any of the kids in school. She nodded calmly at Tucker as they found their way to homeroom. He grinned and passed a note to Danny. _Your senses = better than regular guy ? We need to test this!_ It read.

Danny rolled his eyes at Tucker. He wrote back quickly. _I already know I'm weird do we HAVE to find out how much?_ He passed it back.

_DUDE it might be helpful someday!_ Came back the oh-so-informative reply.

He stared ahead at the teacher, Mr. Lancer as he handed back his answer _okay whatever._ He paid attention to the rest of the class, taking notes. He traded gossip with a few friends in the halls and listened for and avoided Dash Baxter. That seemed about as easy as usual.

He brought Sam along for the test-he liked her, she seemed like someone who would be okay with his being a freak. "So what is this about?" She asked as they wandered into one of the science labs.

Tucker just gave me a look. "What is the deal?" He asked, a little rude.

"Exactly what I'm asking." Sam rolled her eyes.

Danny sighed-Sam and Tucker argued. Often-about a lot of things. She was vegan, he was a carnivore. She liked history, he liked technology, so on and so forth. "Okay, so. I trust you, that's why you're here Sam. _Why_ we are here... I have uh... really good senses. Like-I can hear your heart beating. I can see a long ways off and uh-I have a nose like a dog's."

"Woof, woof Cujo." She commented with a straight face. "Seriously, I've got to see this."

Tucker uncapped a little jar. "Lavender? Sweet. Smells pretty strong." Danny said.

"It's pure essence from a store my mom shops at." The caramel-skinned boy informed. "It's mixed with some oil but it's as pure as it gets. It's our measure, too. Mark one, ninety parts per hundred." He covered it. "Tell me when you stop smelling it."

Danny sighed and shrugged. Tucker pulled out other different colored jars. "Okay, this?" He opened the red bottle.

"Cherry. Seems a bit weaker."

"It is. One part per ten." Tucker told him. He opened three more bottles before getting to one that Danny couldn't smell anymore. "Okay. You can smell up to one part per million about. So you do have a dog's sense of smell. Okay. Next test."

He put back the jars and stretched. "What is it?" Sam asked. "Are you going to bring in by the hepatitis rooms downtown and see if he passes out?" She used the nicknames for the groady porta-johns downtown.

"No, this is a vision test." Tucker told her. "We'll have to go to the football field for this."

It was an off day-no practice, no game, which left them with the field all to themselves pretty much. Sam and Danny milled around the end zone while Tucker walked down the field. He'd asked for them not to look for some reason. Danny kicked at the turf. "It's so silly sometimes how my mom is sometimes." He spoke.

"Yeah, she's something. What's her deal?" Sam asked. "Is she... on drugs?"

Danny sighed angrily. "No. She's not; I can't say what it is but she's not on drugs or an alcoholic either. It's... complicated."

She nodded. "Okay. I won't ask questions."

"Thanks, Sam." He smiled at her.

Sam smiled back before sighing. "Danny, why did yo-"

"All done!" Came Tucker, walking back fast. "Now, one by one, let's see how far and near you can see; I got the stuff from my optometrist last time I got my eyes checked."

"You really planned this, didn't you?" Sam spoke, crossing her arms. "Sometimes there's stuff we shouldn't know, Tuck."

Tucker laughed. "Oh, come on. Everything is understandable given time and effort." Sam didn't comment on that. "So. Let's measure how good your vision is."

Danny looked at the signs and read them off, one by one. "Look, is this for a trick or something?" Sam asked flatly. "Because if it is, it's not funny. Nobody human has that kind of smell and sight."

"I don't think I'm anything else-I mean, I know who my mom and dad are." Danny told her. "And my mom would ne-" He stopped himself. "I'm not thinking about this, I'm not."

"Okay, what's going on?" She asked him. "Are you hiding something? Tell me. I won't tell anyone. You trust me with the tests, trust me with this. Maybe I can dig up something, you know."

"I... I'm different. I got mad a lot easier when I was young but I learned how to control my temper. I'm stronger and faster than anyone I know my age. I've... been having some flare ups since... my mom's boyfriend showed up." Danny hated Vlad; so much.

"Your mom has a-nevermind. Okay, Danny. Did he give you something? Like... anything. Something to eat, drink, anything." She asked pointedly.

Danny dug through his bag, pulling out the envelope. He opened it and looked inside it before pulling out two pins and a letter. He showed her the pins: one was a black flower of some kind and the other some sort of shape with a triangle, circle, square and arrow with a tiny spirograph inside the main shape. "My mom gave this to me."

He ignored the letter. He wanted to read it himself, knowing what it held before showing his friends. Particularly Sam and particularly if it held creepy stuff. He almost didn't want to know about it. "Oh, thank god. This could be a lot worse." Sam sighed, giving them back. "Put them on you somewhere where it's easy to see if people look but not right in the open. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Danny pinned them to the strap of his backpack. "Why is this so important?"

She looked between them as Tucker crossed his arms. "Better yet, how do you know and why should we believe you?"

She gave them an even look. "You've trusted me with Danny's secret but I don't think you understand what it is you are really asking me. You really don't. What I will tell you is... the best you could hope for now is that whoever gave Danny those pins only comes around once a month."

"That's a load of bull." Tucker had his fists balled.

Sam looked around. People were filing onto the field from the track circuit. Just because there wasn't practice didn't mean that other kids didn't wander onto there. "Okay. I'll tell you, but not here and not now. If the wrong person found out, I would disappear."

Danny shrugged. "Fair enough. I have trusted you with my secret already, so I will trust you now."

He put the materials into his bag and they filed off the field. One of the teen boys gave the trio a long look but they were generally ignored as they walked off school property. Danny was glad to be left alone-he had plenty to deal with already. Another meathead jock were _so_ not on the agenda. He felt the paper of the letter in his pocket. Another thing to deal with-in time. Homework and friends first, not more drama.

It would come soon enough, anyway.


End file.
